Finding hidden treasure can be tricky. Especially if that treasure has been masking as something else for almost 100 years.
Auction valuer Guy Schwinge was doing a routine art valuation at a house in Dorset, England, when he glanced outside a window and noticed something mysterious lurking in the bushes. What he saw in the garden was being used as a decorative flower container, BBC News reports. But Schwinge’s keen eye immediately saw dollar signs.
Scroll down for a photo of the coffin.
"As I drew closer I realized I was looking at a Roman sarcophagus of exceptional quality," Schwinge told BBC.
After scanning through an auction catalogue from 1913, Scwinge discovered that the flower container was actually a valuable Roman marble coffin acquired by the English family almost a century ago. The historical relic recently sold for £96,000, or roughly $154,000, at an auction.
The coffin was once owned by Sir John Robinson, one of the most well known art experts of the 19th century, according to the Daily Mail. In 1913, the coffin was sold at an auction to a family in England.
Dating back to the second century AD, the coffin was originally made for a very high ranking Italian official.
England has seen it's fair share of stumbled upon valuables in the last couple of months. An eight-year-old boy was visiting Dorset beach in Hengistbury Head when he found a piece of whale vomit in a patch of seaweed worth £40,000, or around $64,000, BBC News reported.
Accidental discoveries, though rare, are nothing new. In July, gardeners on the Swiss-German border came across ten unmarked gold bars with an estimated value of $126,000. The gardeners are able to claim the gold as their own until someone can prove ownership within the next five years.
While the chances of you finding 10 gold bars of your own may be slim, there may be equally valuable items lying around your house. InfoBarrel has a list of old household items, like old ticket stubs, photographs and phone books, that may have real value to collectors.
Take a look at our slideshow of other weird things that have sold for big bucks:
